How Everything Changed
by nerdtasticred
Summary: What happens when a redhead in the states who battles insomnia and is trying to piece her life back together after a broken heart, gets a surprise in her driveway in the form of The Doctor and his blue box. Both of their lives will change forever.
1. Chapter 1

|| **First off- This is my first Doctor Who fan fiction. I've been wanting to write something for awhile now and tonight this just started coming to me. I have a few plot ideas but mainly I just plan on writing and seeing where it takes me.**

 **Secondly, I will be using the Eleventh incarnation as the Doctor in this story, at least for right now. I have nothing against the other incarnations. I do love 12, I just don't feel like I know him well enough to write him as of yet. Also how could I deny the charm and adorable puppy like qualities of the Eleventh.**

 **Thirdly. I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters that I am pulling out of his world and into this story. I am simply borrowing them for the purpose of writing more adventures with a slightly different kind of companion. ||**

A faint echo of some horribly auto tuned nineties band played throughout the townhouse as the redhead went about her nightly routine of switching off the lights. Glancing at the clock as she made her way through the living room and to the stairs told her what she already knew, it was far later than was healthy for her to be up. Especially considering this too had become quite routine. Insomnia had become like an old friend in the recent months, but she supposed a broken heart had strange ways of playing into one's life.

She took the steps two at a time, even though the only thing that awaited her at the top was two empty rooms opposite her own. Pushing open the door to the latter , the music grew just a little bit louder. She shook her head and mustered a chuckle as she listened to the lyrics- the song was nearly ten years old now and had been one of her favorites when she was in high school. The thoughts of her teenaged self dancing along to the bubblegummy music in the hallways of her high school almost made her shudder- thank god her taste in music had improved as she had aged.

She slowly made her way to her bed, checking her phone for messages- knowing already there wouldn't be any. But she had picked up that habit as well. She wasn't sure she would ever give up hope of seeing the familiar numbers flash across her screen- alerting her to a new message. She plugged her phone in and sighed softly before climbing into bed.

Sleep didn't come easy anymore, nor did it come often-and when it did- it was brief naplike instances instead of what would constitute a good nights sleep or anything that remotely resembled it.

After tossing and turning, fiddling with her iPod, and then giving up on music and turning her television on , she finally dozed off.

What seemed like minutes later (and was actually two hours) she was awoken by what sounded like a car crashing into the front of her townhouse, the jolt of whatever it was that had hit had woken her up. She groaned as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped her flip flops on, sure she was going to find some drunk driver passed out in her driveway. Muttering to herself about how big of idiots the town she lived in was full of she made her way through the dark house to the front door.

What she saw when she stepped out of her front door and into the wee hours of the morning left her speechless and rubbing her eyes, to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing. On its side in her driveway, flush with the front of her house was a deep blue police box- which was currently expressing a great deal of smoke. The startled redhead watched as the doors opened and a hand reached out, followed by the form of a tall slender brunette man who seemed to have hoisted himself out of the box and onto the pavement next to it.

She stood in disbelief as she watched the man take in his surroundings. It took a minute it seemed before he even realized she was there. But once he did he jumped up and a goofy grin plastered across his face he looked at her. "I'm the Doctor." He said extending his hand so she could shake it.

The redhead furrowed her brow for a few minutes as she looked from his face to his hand that still hung in the air. Offering one/ tenths of a smile she quickly shook it and looked at him. "Scarlett, and might I ask what that is? And why it's in my driveway at three am?"

The man who had identified himself as the Doctor, ran a hand through hair hair and looked at her. "Scarlett, that's a great name. More people should be named after colors I think. People are too gray, too boring. The world could use a little more color in it." He took a deep. death noticing that the look that was now on the redheads face want exactly one of enjoyment and decided it best to answer the question she had posed before his ramble. "Ah yes the TARDIS" he said as his gaze drifted to the blue box. "Thats my ship. It's a little wonky. Which is why I ended up here." He looked around and sighed. "Wherever here is- I was meant to end up in 1986 Scotland to see a concert." He leaned down and patted the side of the wooden box and sighed. "Suppose she's a bit tired, she is over two thousand years old."

None of the words that Scarlett was hearing come out of the man's mouth were making much sense, part of that could of been due in part to her lack of normal sleep but she believed in more due in fact to the fact that he wasn't actually making much sense. She sighed softly noticing for first time since she stepped outside that there was a nip to the air. Weighing her options she decided, perhaps against her better judgement to invite the man inside. She may of been confused as hell but if that police box was really what he said it was it was defiantly out of commission for the time being and she wasn't cold hearted enough to leave him out in the cold.

He graciously accepted her offer, and after they together pushed the blue box into her garage, they entered the house together.

"You humans are so domestic." He said with a excited smile as he took in the decorations of the small tiled living room. "It's so cute and quaint and so southern." He added as she flopped onto the couch like a small child.

Scarlett moved to the leather chair that faced the couch- the chair that had belonged to her grandpa, one of the few things she had left of him. Settling into it she looked him square in the eye and exhaled sharply before speaking. "One, I'm assuming that since you referred to me as a human- you aren't one. And two, since I let you in my house I would really like some answers."

"Ah yes..." The Doctor said,his hand running through his hair again. "For starters, you're right. I'm not a human. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, and that box that's in your garage. It's a ship that travels through time and space. " he couldn't help but grin at the look of confusion on Scarlett's face. "Well at least it does when it's working properly." He chuckled. "It's all very scientific and boring."

Scarlett nodded slowly and nibbled on her lip softly as she absorbed what he was saying. Something about him was definitely intriguing to the redhead, not to mention he wasn't terrible to look at. "And you don't want to possess my body or eat my brain or something like that do you?" She asked finally after trying and failing to hide a yawn.

The Doctor laughed heartily and his eyes met hers. It was the first time be had stared into her eyes and he noticed something different about them, they held so much- but now was not the time for that. He shook his head softly and answered. "I assure you that's not going to happen. Brains are not on my dietary plan."

"There's about a million things I want to ask you but it's nearing 4 am and I need to at least try to get some sleep- I'm sure you're exhausted too." She paused as she stood up and opened the trunk that was nestled In the corner. She returned a moment later and handed him a expertly stitched quilt and a pillow. "Youre welcome to the couch. Make yourself at home and we can pick this up in the morning. And if I wake up and this was all a dream- perhaps I have really finally gone off the deep end." She said as she handed over the pillow and the blanket over to him and then made her way over to the stairs.

"Goodnight Scarlett." he said softly as he took his coat off to become more comfortable.

"Night" she said in return before making her way back to her bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

|| **Here is chapter two. I wrote it in the wee hours of the morning, and entirely on my phone so there may be some errors.**

 **Yes, I know these first two chapters are very domestic- but I am trying to take the Doctor out of his comfort zone which you will start to see more in a few chapters.**

 **Again, I don't own Doctor Who, the characters, or technology from his universe. They are simply borrowed for the sake of writing.**

 **Enjoy||**

The beeping of the alarm on her nightstand woke Scarlett up a mere four hours after she had left the Doctor on the couch to fend for himself. At least she was pretty sure that had happened,while she had had some pretty elaborate and messed up dreams the events of the previous night would definitely take the cake in the dream department had they not happened.

Deciding she should probably see for herself the redhead rolled out of bed and padded her way down the stairs to see the Doctors form,his back to her as he stood at the stove. So it wasn't a dream- she really had a strange alien man in her house. Not only that but he appeared to be making breakfast. She crossed the living room and took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of eggs and bacon and smiled softly. She hadn't had anyone cook for her in over a year. She leaned against the counter and watched him before saying good morning. Without looking up from the eggs he was frying he responded. "Morning to you as well. I hope I wasn't being too noisy too early. I never know how much sleep you humans need." His words stumbled out of his mouth, quickly as if they were afraid of making it out and thus came out almost too quickly. "But I thought I'd make you breakfast before you got down to grilling me some more." He looked over his shoulder and flashed her a goofy smile. Scarlett perched herself on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar and rested her head in her hands as she continued to watch him. There was an easiness about him, that she couldn't decide was a good or bad thing. Her thoughts were interrupted a few seconds later when a plate of food was placed before her, along with a cup of steaming coffee. She smiled up at him in thanks before taking a bite. The Doctor watched the redhead, studying her features. The way she took bites like she was eager to taste every bite of food. He couldn't help but smile at her red hair, how it was all carelessly flipped over to one side of her head. She was intriguing, if for no other reason than she was new to him- but somehow she suspected that wasn't the case. Deciding that she might find it odd that he wasn't eating and was in fact just watching her, he poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed a strip of bacon of the stack and munched it, the quietness in the room was very obvious but not overly awkward. He didn't feel the need to fill it with mindless chatter, which was a rare occurance for the time Lord. Scarlett's eating slowed as she finished her eggs, she looked up and set her fork down aware that she hadn't said anything since good morning to the brown haired man. "This is good. I usually don't have anyone to cook for me." She said softly and the Doctor noticed a hint of sadness in her green eyes. The redhead must of felt that her emotions were more in the open than she wanted because she quickly shook her head and changed the subject. "Was the couch okay?" She asked raising an eyebrow. She had personally only slept on it a couple times and both times she had been too drunk to care. The Doctor finished his strip of bacon and smiled at her. "It was in fact quite comfortable , thank you." Sipping at his coffee he fiddled with his hair, he knew the TARDIS wouldn't be ready to fly just yet, and seeing as he wasn't exactly sure where he was-although her accent did sound quite American- he didn't really fancy leaving the TARDIS to go find somewhere to stay while it repaired itself. "Scarlett, I was wondering...my ship ...she's going to need a few days to cool down. Since we haven't killed each other yet, and I don't really plan on killiing you." He was nervous, something he hoped she wouldn't pick up on- he was always rubbish at asking for help or for a favor. "If I could stay a couple more days. I'll cook and clean and reimburse you for whatever I use while I'm here." He added before throwing in a toothy smile for good measure. The redhead thought about it for a minute , she found herself somewhat eager to find out more about this mysterious man. And she had to admit having someone around might be nice. She slowly nodded and smiled back. "Sure,but under one condition. You answer questions and tell me more about you " The Doctor grinned and thanked her like a little kid who was thanking someone for a second helping of dessert. Nodding to emphasize that he agreed to her terms he added . "I'll answer yours if you'll answer mine. You're just as peculiar to me as I am to you." The pair cleaned up from breakfast together. They it turned out made a pretty Okay team. Scarlett had asked a few questions, how old he was; if he had ever been married and how long he had been travelling in his ship- and had been surprised at the answers. He in turn had asked what she did for a living- book editor; where exactly they were- a dinky town in Northern Florida and weather she was married. She had begun to answer the last question but when he noticed the same pained look as before start to form in her eyes he quickly changed the subject to books.

At the mention of books Scarlett's eyes lit up, after some discussion it was decided that they would spend the morning visiting the used book stores in town. That way she could show him a little bit of the town, and they could enjoy rifling through books a passion it seemed they shared.


	3. Chapter 3

**|| Some Doclett feels are going to start showing up, not very strong to begin with- but very faint traces. And it's going to be confusing for both of them, when they finally do notice.**

 **Starting to transition into splitting time in both their world's as well. With surprises from some of my favorite characters popping up over the course of the next few chapters. Expect to see everyone's favorite duo from Victorian London here pretty soon ;)**

 **As always the Whoniverse belongs to BBC and Steven Moffat, I'm simply borrowing it and adding some of my own for the sake of writing.**

 **Also, I've gotten some followers and likes- that makes me happy. :) You guys rock. ||**

The Doctor fidgeted in the passenger seat of the jeep. His fingers drumming on his legs as Scarlett started driving out of her neighborhood. It had taken a lot of coaxing and convincing to get the time Lord out of the house and away from his blue box. But after her fifteenth promise that it would be safe in the garage he had finally agreed. She glanced at him using her periphial vision as the car came to a stop at a red light. She couldn't help but notice that he seemed nervous, almost antsy at the thought of traveling by car. She waited a moment and then broke the silence by asking him if he was okay.

The Doctor's gaze met hers and he smiled, that smile that lit up his whole face. If he was really centuries old, like he had told her earlier- he certainly looked good for his age. "I'm fine. I'm always fine. Why wouldn't I be fine" he answered as he awkwardly put one hand behind his head.

The truth was the Doctor had never really gotten the hang of automobiles. Sure he had driven one before, he has driven loads of cars before- but they weren't his favorite mode of transportation not by a long shot. But he was unfamiliar with the layout of the city and it wasn't like he could take the TARDIS right now.

Scarlett shrugged and let out a sort of chuckle before turning her attention back to driving, as the red light was now green. "Dunno, you just seem...uncomfortable."

"Well yes, I haven't traveled by car in at least a hundred years." He said matter of factly. He couldn't help but notice how his new friends eyes widened, which brought a smile to his face. It often took humans a little while to get over the him being an alien and over two thousand years old thing. Truth be told- Scarlett was handling it quite well. Much better than many others had- and at least she hadn't slapped him like Jackie Tyler had.

His gaze remained upon her as they drove. She pointed out landmarks, and every once and awhile mentioned a funny personal antidote as they passed a parking lot or drive thru. She'd shoot him glances every once and a while- but the majority of the time her eyes remained focused on driving. Something, the Doctor was thankful for- it seemed not everyone drove with the caution as she did. He studied the redhead, she had a spark, something he couldn't quite out his finger on- but it definitely stood out to him. She carried herself quite differently than of the other humans he has spent time around. He was definitely going to have to get to know her better- and something told him that might be easier said than done.

"We're here Doctor..." She said pulling the jeep into a parking spot outside of a smallish building. He noticed the gleam in her eyes become more evident when she saw the carts of books being wheeled outside.

"Books are high on your list aren't they Scarlett?" He said softly as he fumbled with the seatbelt trying to get it to release him. He would never get used to safety restraints they made him feel all wibbly wobbly on the inside- he preferred being able to roam about while he traveled.

The redhead smiled, offered a quick nod and then undid her own seatbelt before without saying anything un latched his as well. To hide the flush that was coming to his cheeks he turned away from her and opened the door , getting out at the same time she did.

Side by side they walked to the front porch area of the small shop and began leafing through small paperbacks that had been arranged under a large annoyingly yellow sign that said "sale" in bold black letters. Standing beside her at the cart of books he caught a whiff of her- every human had a unique smell this was something he had become well aware of while travelling with so many of them through out the years. But hers was different, like a mixture of freshly cut flowers and a happy memory. It wasn't too sweet or too harsh- just right, and the Doctor found himself intoxicated by it.

"What about Shakespeare?" Scarlett asked for the third time as she held the book out. "Do you like his stuff?" It was obvious that she had just brought him back into reality by her questions. She couldn't help but wonder where his mind had wandered off to.

The Doctor blushed for the second time in the last few minutes, something that didn't happen often and even worse he couldn't hide it this time. He took a few minutes to process what she had just asked him and hoped that she hadn't noticed him blushing. Running a hand through his floppy brown hair he replied. "Bill's a good enough bloke, got kind of an attitude about him though." He finally answered.

The look of bewilderment that was now evident on Scarlett's face was enough to make the Time Lord smile. Even with how well the redhead had taken the news of his age and the explination of what the blue box was and what it was capable of, he wasn't surprised that she was having a bit of trouble comprehending what he had just said.

"You...you've met William Shakespeare?" Scarlett asked quietly after closing the space between them just a little more, so that their conversation would remain theirs alone.

"Yes of course. What goods a time machine if you can't pop around to visit famous playwrights." He answered before adding. "Had quite the adventure with Charles Dickens as well, not to mention a dinner party in the twenties with a giant bee and Agatha Christie."

"Clearly you have all kinds of stories you can tell me." She responded, a slight smile playing at her lips before she entered the store- Shakespeare book in hand and the Doctor behind her.

The Doctor spent the next hour leafing through a multitude of books, and following Scarlett around- which included pointing out flaws in books set in the future. As he followed her he found himself staring intently at her again, and picking up details in how she walked, moved about the store and the way he eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for. When he asked why she always went for the used books if there was a copy available for the book she wanted, her answer of "They smell better." Had made him smile.

After they checked out and Scarlett paid for her stack of books, the Doctor took the bags from the shop attendent and carried them to the jeep. He noticed that she seemed surprised by this gesture and a teeny bit uncomfortable.

After the first book store they ventured into two more before Scarlett took him into a seafood market. He noticed that she seemed to know everyone who worked there and even recieved a hug from the older man who seemed to run the place after purchasing shrimp and filets of what they were told was the best flounder that had been through the market in months.

"So what's it like? Travelling in a little police box?" Scarlett asked as they sat in the living room an hour after leaving the seafood market. After returning home they had taken turns showering. The Doctor looked charmingly hilarious in a pair of her pink and green checkered pajama pants and a old concert t shirt.

The Doctor smiled and stood, stepping just to the side of where she sat he extended his hand and replied. "I could try to explain it, but it's all a little sciency wiency. Best if I just show you."

Scarlett took his hand and rose to her feet following him to the garage where they had stood the Tardis up the night before. As they approached it, she looked at him and asked. "Is it safe to go in? There was an awful lot of smoke last night."

The Doctor released the redheads hand to softly press both of his palms against the wooden portion of the door that led inside. Smiling softly he nodded and looked back at Scarlett. "Its perfectly fine." And with that he snapped his fingers and the doors opened.


End file.
